


A time for change

by Fallingyuki



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2017-12-16 00:13:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallingyuki/pseuds/Fallingyuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is a different place. Kagome tries to come to terms with all the changes in her new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Avengers

Chapter One

Steve didn't know what to do with himself. He still couldn't wrap his head around the world today. It was so different from the time he was from. Even after the incident, he was still just as clueless to the modern world.

War he understood. It didn't matter when or with what weaponry was available there was always two sides battling each other for their own causes. He fought for what he believed in and was thankful that the side he was on won, especially in that incident. He couldn't even fathom what the world would be like if Loki and the Chetauri had won. He shuddered just thinking about it.

He looked around and noticed he was on some random street. He had been walking for hours around New York. He had to get away from the others, especially Stark. That man could drive a man to drink. Looking to his left he noticed a diner. What the hell, he thought. I'm hungry.

Walking in Steve noticed that the place was deserted. There were three other customers in the place. It wasn't dirty but it wasn't as clean as some of the places he had eaten in recently. Tony liked to take everyone to restaurants that catered to the wealthy. He smirked. He didn't think Tony would step into this establishment. Grabbing a seat he looked at the other patrons.

There was a couple eating on the other side of the diner. They were very close, sitting almost in each other's laps. The girl was giggling as she fed some food to the guy she was with. He laughed as she missed his mouth. She tried again, succeeding and then reached up with her lips to get the bit clinging to the corner of his mouth. Steve smiled to himself.

"What can I get you?" the waitress asked as she set a menu in front of him. He ordered a coffee and started looking at the menu. The waitress came back with the coffee and he placed his order. After the waitress left he looked around the room to the other patron. It was a woman, sitting with some books. Her raven locks hung over her face blocking it from his view. He watched as the woman stopped what she was doing. She waved her hair from her face as she looked up at him. She was beautiful.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Kagome was studying for her test. She had picked this place because it was away from the hustle and bustle of her life. It was a quiet little diner far far away from them. As much as she loved her family, she couldn't stand being around them now. They were on pins and needles. After the incident with the aliens and the Avengers, there was talk. Talk about what to do with this new threat to the world, and how it would affect them. She knew she should be worried. She had a power that could rival the thing that was up on the Stark tower that started the whole invasion of New York. The vessel was different but the power felt the same. She shuddered at the thought of another Shikon no Tama floating around in the world. One was bad enough.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to the person who had walked into the diner. The person's aura nudged hers a little but she didn't think anything of it. From time to time she felt a spark of a stronger aura but there was no power or knowledge of the power so she brushed it off as just another body. But after a few moments when the nudge continued she looked up. What she saw was a man. A gorgeous man looking right at her. He gave her a smile and her heart skipped a beat. She looked behind her to make sure that he wasn't looking at someone behind her. There was no one. She turned back around and saw him chuckle. She smiled back at him and quickly looked down. He was looking at her. Her. Her heart started to beat faster. It had been a long time since she felt this way. Not since the Feudal Era and Inuyasha. She smiled slightly as she thought of that. It hadn't been that long ago for her, just a few years. It didn't take her that long to get over it. She had to. When she returned from making a wish on the Jewel, he showed up on her door step a year later, with his family. She couldn't begrudge him the love that he found. And his kids, even though they were older than her she knew that she couldn't live without any of her nieces and nephews.

Kagome felt her phone go off, or rather heard the squawking that came from it. She cringed as she looked back up to see the guy looking at her still. She shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment as she answered the phone.

"What the hell kind of ringtone did you put on my phone?" she hissed. She could hear chuckling in the background as well as from the caller.

"You don't always answer the phone when I call, so I made sure you wouldn't have a choice wench. "

"What do you want Inuyasha?" she sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked up slightly watching the waitress bring the beautiful man his meal. What lovely manners she thought as she watched him dazzle the waitress. She had been coming here for about a year now and never saw the waitress show any emotion whatsoever. But with just a few words he had her blushing. She chuckled as she watched the waitress pat her hair and straighten her blouse as she walked away.

"Hey. Hey Wench! Are you listening to me?"

"What?" she asked as she came back to the conversation she was having. She heard the cursing and another chuckle in the background.

"I asked where you are."

"The same place I'm always am when I'm studying for school. Why?"

"The kids are coming over. As well as Kouga and Shippo. They will be here in about two hours. You want me to send the car?"

"No!" she hissed. She didn't want a car to pick her up. She hated the car. She felt awkward in it. It didn't feel like her. She knew that this was how life was going to be like from now on, but she didn't want to have to like it. She didn't feel like she was one of the rich. But her family was and she needed to get used to it.

"How are you going to get back? You can't walk and have enough time to get ready."

"The car will be sent. Tell her to be ready." She heard him speak in the background. She sighed then. She knew she didn't have a choice now. Once he said something that was it.

"Okay. I'll be ready."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I will have Sesshoumaru tell you what to do from now on, since you never argue with him." He continued to chuckle as he hung up.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Steve continued to look at the beautiful woman across from him. She was gorgeous. Her long raven hair hung around her head in soft waves. She was Asian, but not. Her eyes, there were definitely not Asian. She had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen on a person, like the ocean, he felt that he could drown in them. He was distracted when he heard the alarming squawking noise coming from her direction. He watched her cringe as she fished around her bag pulling out a phone. He thought it was kind of funny that she had programed such an annoying sound to come from it. He laughed in his hand when he heard her hiss at the caller. So it wasn't the woman who had put that god awful sound on her phone.

"Here you go sir," the waitress said as she placed his meal in front of him. He looked up at her when she was done and thanked her kindly. He started to eat as he looked over at the woman again. She was looking at him this time. He smiled as he took bite. He tried not to stare and tried to look discreetly at her. He could tell that she was arguing with someone about something, then noticed as she slumped her shoulders at the end of the conversation. She hung up and sighed. He watched her as she gathered her things. She left money on the table and headed past him. He looked up as she started to pass him. "Enjoy your meal." She said in a soft spoken voice. He smiled as their eyes met again. He felt a jolt as she walked by. HE turned in his chair and watched her from behind her hips softly swaying as she walked out of the diner. God, he thought. I hope I see her again.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Kami-sama, Kagome thought as she passed the beautiful man. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to say something to him. She felt a jolt as she passed him.

"Enjoy your meal." She said and smiled when the man acknowledged her words. She walked out the door thinking to herself. I hope I get to see him again.

A.N. Let me know what you think. I don't have a beta so please forgive an mistakes I have made.


	2. Chapter Two

**I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or to the Avengers**

**Chapter Two**

_I can’t believe I’m late_. Kagome thought as she ran down the sidewalk to her destination. She was so lost in thought that she almost passed the diner.  Skidding to a stop a few steps before the place she took a few deep breaths and straightened her hair and her clothes.  She smiled to herself as she resumed her steps.

_“I can’t believe I’m so flustered.  I haven’t even had a conversation with the guy_. She looked into the window and saw that the place was teeming with customers.  _They’ve picked up a lot recently_ she thought as she walked into the door.  She looked around and noticed that there wasn’t an available table in the place, there really weren’t very many seats available either.  She also looked to see if he was there. He was. And there was, a seat right across from him.

 

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 

Steve had been sitting in the diner for a few minutes.  He didn’t want to come too early, but not too late either.  It seemed that _she_ came around the same time every day that she was there.  He knew, he had taken to going to the same diner just to see if he would see her again. He chuckled to himself. _“I can’t believe it. I feel like a stalker.”_

Steve didn’t know why but he enjoyed her company. Even though they hadn’t spoken but a few words in greeting, he just felt a sense of something every time he was near her.  And he liked that feeling. It took away from the pain he felt being where he was, in the time he was. She made him feel like a regular guy. Although a regular guy stalking a girl.

He looked at his watch again before looking up when the bell over the door chimed. He sighed when he noticed it wasn’t her.  He waited for Debbie to bring his coffee as he looked over the menu.  He had just about gone through all the items on the menu. They were okay, nothing spectacular just something that could stick to the bones.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 

 “Here’s your coffee, Cap’t. Have you decided?” Debbie asked.  She straightened her posture as she waited on his order. 

She was excited the first time he came into the diner.  Who would have thought that Captain America ate at a diner.  A regular run of the mill, hole in the wall kind of place. She was tickled the second time he came there.  He then started coming more frequently about a couple times a week. She also noticed that they were all on her shifts.  She felt her heart flutter as she waited for his soft spoken words.  He was such a gentleman.  He had asked for her name the second time he was there and said it every time since. She didn’t know if he was coming there for her or what, but she hoped.  So she took to dressing up her appearance for work every day.  A couple extra minutes on her hair, an extra coat of mascara.  She even went out and bought a shade of lipstick that “accentuated her features.” At least that is what the lady at the counter said.

“Hey Debbie, thanks.  Can I get the Salisbury steak today?”

“Sure Cap’t.” she slowly wrote down his order hoping he would say something else. He didn’t, just smiled then looked back down to his watch. She sighed as she walked away.  She hadn’t gotten up the courage to strike up a conversation with him. She got tongue-tied every time she served him. And work had gotten a bit busier since he started coming. Maybe not a bit, but a lot. They had to call in Judy to help because the place was full and one waitress for 15 tables and counter was a bit much.

_Oh well,_ she sighed. _Maybe next time._

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 

Kagome took a deep breath as she walked over to his table. Her knuckles were white where she was clutching her backpack. She slowly let out her breath as she stopped next to him. She waited till he looked up at her.  She smiled.

“There doesn’t seem to be a free seat in the place except at your table.  Do you mind if I sit with you?”

A second, then another seemed to go by as she waited for his answer.  He kept looking at her. She wondered if he was going to tell her no. Then his eyes got a little wider as he jumped up.  Kagome was a bit startled at his reaction.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Where are my manners.” He put down his napkin as he slid over to the other side of the table and pulled out the chair.

 “I don’t mind at all. “He smiled as he waited for her to take her seat.  Kagome felt her heart stop at that smile.

_Man,_ she thought as she walked over to the chair that he had scooted under her, _he is hot._

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 

Steve was in shock.  He was so caught in the fact that she was standing next to him, talking to him that the words didn’t register.  Then he was so elated by what she had asked he jumped up to get over to the seat for her to sit.

_She is going to sit with me,_ he thought. _At my table._ He couldn’t keep the shit eating grin off his face as he went to sit down. He openly watched her as she put her bag on the ground.  She patted her hair before she looked up at him.

She reached across the table, “My name is Kagome, Higurashi Kagome.”

He reached up and grasped her hand.  She had a firm handshake and such soft skin. “Steve, Steve Rogers.” He watched her as he said this. She shifted forward and placed her hands on the table. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Rogers-san. Thank you for letting me sit here.”

He waited and watched her as Debbie came over with a coke. He watched as they conversed for a minute and still waited.  There was no reaction to his name.  That was different.  He had gotten so used to people reacting when they met him or when he told them his name that he almost forgot what it felt like to not get a reaction.  He continued to watch her as he was thinking this over.  Steve immediately felt his cheeks heat up as he saw that her cheeks started turning red. He was staring now.

“Sorry.”

“That’s okay.” She looked down as she fiddled with the napkin on the table. She bit her bottom lip for a moment before looking back up at him. “It’s not every day that someone asks to sit with you?” she asked him cheekily.

“No ma’am.  It’s not every day. Maybe every other day, but not every day” Steve answered. He started to chuckle as her face turned red again.  He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable so he opted to change the subject.

“I see you here a lot.” _Oops_ he thought. His eyes got a bit wide as he felt the tips of his ears heat up. _I shouldn’t have said that. Now she’s going to think I’m a stalker._

“What I mean was, I’m here and I see you … I… “Steve grabbed the back of his head as he chuckled.

Kagome smiled into her hand and tried not to laugh.  She thought it was cute that he was just as nervous as she was. She let out the breath that she had been unconsciously holding in.

“I see you here a lot too.”  The two looked at each other for a moment before they both started to laugh. Debbie came back at that moment with Steve’s food. 

Kagome watched as he rearranged his silverware and napkin but did not start eating. She looked at his food and back at him when a few more seconds went by and he still hadn’t started eating.

“Do you not want it?” she asked.

“Ma’am?” he asked.

“Your food. Is it not what you wanted?  You’re not eating. Oh, and please call me Kagome.”

Steve looked down at his meal and then back at Kagome. Realization came over him as he answered.

“I was waiting for you.”

“Roger-san, you shouldn’t wait. Your food …”

“Steve, please call me Steve.”

“Steve.” She smiled a little at that. “Your food will get cold.”

“I can wait. Your food should be up soon. They are pretty fast here.”

“Well, if you are sure.” Kagome fiddled with her napkin once more. She tilted her head as she thought of something. Looking back to Steve she asked. “Have you noticed that the place is busy? I mean a lot busier than it used to be. It wasn’t like this when I first started coming here.  I wonder why it so busy now.” She looked back down and didn’t see Steve’s face paling just a little bit.  He knew. He was surprised that she didn’t.  He could feel the eyes from several of the patrons on him.  He had gotten used to that too, being famous. Not being able to go places where he wasn’t known.  He knew that once someone recognized him and saw how much he frequented this establishment it was only a matter of time before people started coming around. He was very grateful that no one had asked him for his autograph or picture while he was there.  He had seen how the world treated celebrities of this time.  He saw it firsthand when he went out with Tony.  The cameras and the people were always all over him when he stepped out of Stark towers as well as any public place he graced with his presence.

He watched her for a moment wondering if this was the moment where she would look at him out of the side of her eyes with that _knowing_ look.  The look he saw on women’s faces when they pretended that they didn’t know who he was. It didn’t happen.  She looked genuinely puzzled. He wondered if he should let her know that he did know why, but then thought against it.  If she really didn’t recognize him yet, he wasn’t going to hurry it along.

Again Debbie came at the right moment.  She dropped off Kagome’s salad and fries, topped off Steve’s coffee and left.

“It could be the food.” He said as he waited for her to take her first bite.

She watched him, waiting for him to take his first bite. They both looked at each other, silverware ready to go. Moments went by before Kagome looked down again, chuckling.

“It seems I don’t want you to eat.  Sorry Steve-san.” She took a bite of her salad and watched as he cut into his steak. The first few bites were eaten in silence before Kagome continued.

“Where I am from the man is the one to start the meal. So I don’t usually eat until he has taken his first bite.  It takes me a moment to remember it’s not the same everywhere.” Kagome continued to eat her food.

Steve mulled that over as he continued to eat.  _That is a different way to eat_ he thought.  _I wonder where she is from._ He mentally wiped the sweat from his brow, _at least I dodged the question about the diner._

“You really don’t think it’s the food do you?” Kagome asked. She looked around before leaning forward. She waited for him to do so as well before saying, “it’s not that great.” She grinned as she leaned back.

He spoke too soon. “You don’t think so? He grinned at her and leaned forward again. Whispering conspiratorially “I think it’s the pie. Flo’s famous Dutch Apple pie. It’s what brings me back every time.”  He wasn’t speaking untruthfully either. It was tasty and he did order it every time.  With his super human metabolism he could eat anything and not have to worry.

Kagome arched her brow as she took in his grin. “If you say so, I haven’t had it.”

They continued to eat in companionable silence. It was pleasant, they both thought. Even though they didn’t know each other, the awkward silence that would usually occur between two relative strangers didn’t exist for them. And they liked it.

After the meal, Debbie came by with a slice of the apple pie for Steve. He really did always get a slice so that Debbie didn’t have to ask. She just brought it out to him after she cleaned away the plates.

“Excuse me, Debbie-san?” Kagome looked at his plate and had to agree with Steve, it did look good. “Do you think I could get a slice of that pie?”

“Sure thing.” And she left with their dirty dishes.

Kagome looked at Steve. “I’m going to try this famous pie, Steve-san. I hope you are right about it.”

Steve chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee. “I think it’s quite tasty.  Reminds me of home.” His voice kind of trailed off there. Kagome looked at him and noticed that he wasn’t at the table any more.  He was far away, somewhere else in his head. She smiled at herself.  She knew that feeling.  Thinking of home.

When Steve came back to himself he felt a little awkward. Sometimes it was seconds, sometimes it was minutes before someone would either repeatedly call out his name or wave their hands in front of his face.  But that wasn’t the case this time.  Kagome was looking through her bag and pulling out one of the many books that she would read when she came to the diner. She didn’t do either one of those things.  She left him to come back to himself.

“Sorry about that. I get that way when I remember home,” he said as he watched her.

“No problem. I get that way too when I think of home. I hate when people bug me when that happens. So I felt that I would show you the same courtesy I would like when it happens to me. Thoughts always have a tendency to linger when thinking of home.”

Debbie came back with Kagome’s piece of pie and he waited for her to take her first bite before digging in.  Her eyes closed for a bit and then a soft moan escaped her lips.  Steve choked. He didn’t expect to hear that sound from her. _At least not yet_ he thought, _and not over a piece of pie._

 “Steve-san.  I think you are right.  This pie is delicious. I will have to take some home with me. My son will love this.” She continued to eat not noticing the slight pause Steve had before he completed his bite.

“Your son? He likes pie?” he watched in absolute fascination as Kagome’s face paled. Her eyes widened for a moment before she continued.

I’m sorry. I… “The phone rang then. That same annoying squawk he heard the first time he saw her.  He didn’t think he had heard it since and didn’t think he would forget it.  He watched Kagome as she cringed. She stuffed the bite on her fork into her mouth as if that would stop the sound. He looked at her then her bag and then her again as she continued to eat. The sound stopped.

“Is something wrong with your slice Steve-san?” she asked as she gestured to his plate with her fork. “I would share with you but I don’t think I want to. This is really good. “She took another bite of hers and watched as he dug into his slice. The phone went off again. He watched her ignore it again. When it went off the third time he asked, “Do you need to get that?”

Kagome grimaced as she put down her fork. She bowed slightly before pulling out the device where the offensive sound was coming from.

“What?” she hissed in Japanese. “It had better be good because I’m eating.”

“What the hell, wench? When have my calls not ever been important?”

“When you ask me to bring you some fast food when I come home from school.”

“Feh,” he said as a moment of silence occurred. “Something has been decided. We need you to come home.” His voice was solemn as he said the last bit.

“Okay, I’ll be there in a few.”

“Fluffy sent Shippo.”

“Oh.”

“He should be there any moment.” A car’s horn went off outside the diner.  A limo had pulled up to the curb.

“Shit, Inu. I… I will see you in a bit then.” She was just about to hang up when she heard, “Hey wench, can you bring some Mc’D’s on your way back?” She stared at the phone incredulously and hung up.

Kagome looked at phone in her hand forgetting where she was for a moment. It wasn’t long before she remembered where she was. She bowed her head, shrugging her shoulders as she looked back up at Steve. He had stopped eating and was watching her.

“Everything okay, Kagome?”

“Yes, I am sorry. I have to leave. Something came up and I have to return home.” She slowly started to pack her bag as she got up. She reached for her wallet to pay, when she felt a hand on hers. She followed the hand up to Steve’s eyes? She looked at him questioningly. _What he is doing,_ she thought.

“I got it. You worry about your family.” Kagome started to protest when he held his other hand in between them. “Where I’m from, the man pays for the meal. I know that might seem old-fashioned, but that is how I was raised.”

Kagome looked at him and sighed. “Can I get it next time?”

He smiled at her, “I don’t think so.” She looked a bit crestfallen as he added, “I’ll get it.”

Kagome’s eyes shot up. She smiled brightly at him. Steve felt his heart flutter again.

“It’s a date.” She looked down and felt Steve’s hand still on hers.  She blushed. She looked up just as he took his hand back, she saw that his ears were slightly pink.  She grabbed her stuff, and made for the exit before she saw that Steve was going to walk her to the door. Her heart skipped a beat. _What a gentleman,_ she thought as they got to the door. They looked at each other and it felt like the world had stopped for a moment. Kagome bowed swiftly before walking over to the car.

A man climbed out of the car to open the door for her. Before she could climb in he grabbed her in a bear hug and laughed as she squeaked. Steve watched as the car drove away.

Who was that man and why was she eating at this diner if she had a limo. Those thoughts ran through his mind as he walked back to his table.

_Who cares,_ he thought. _I have a date._

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter Two.Five

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Avengers.

Chapter 2.5

“Hey Sesshoumaru, you see this?” Inuyasha asked as he waved a paper at his brother. Sesshoumaru continued to type at his desk, not acknowledging Inuyasha whatsoever.  
“Hey. I asked if you’ve seen this.”  
A few moments go by before Inuyasha hops up from his seat on the couch and stomps over to his brother. “Hey Asshole, I asked you a question.”  
The clicking of the keys stopped as Sesshoumaru glanced over at Inuyasha’s face huffing a few inches from his own. He smirked and watched as his brother’s temper continue to rise.  
“I chose not to answer.”  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  
“I don’t know what this is? And I haven’t read a paper in a long time.”  
“Yes you do, you read Nihon Keizai Shimbun every day, what the hell?” Inuyasha was getting ticked. His brother, even after all these years, could push his buttons. All of them, in less than a minute.  
“I don’t read physical papers you imbecile.” He sighed as he took his hands away from the computer. “What is it that you think I should have seen?”  
“It’s nothing big, just who Kagome is hanging out with.” Inuyasha looked as though he was inspecting his claws but he was actually watching for Sesshoumaru’s reaction. Whenever anything had to do with Kagome lately, he reacted. However minute Inuyasha could still see that saying her name got a response like nothing else did.  
“What do you mean?” Sesshoumaru grabbed for the paper as Inuyasha pulled it away.  
“Ah, ah, ah. Hold your horses. I ask you something and you don’t respond unless it’s about Kagome?” Inuyasha chuckled as his brother tore the paper out of his hands. He watched him look over the little blurb, nothing but three lines sandwiched in the middle of the gossip page, but he could see that his brother caught the same thing he did.  
Sesshoumaru put the paper down and looked out the window.  
“Do you know if she knows who he is?”  
“Nah, not really. She knows who the Avengers are and maybe the individual people’s code names, but not the people. She doesn’t watch TV or read any newspapers or magazines. If it’s really popular she gets the info from us, Souta, and her friends back home.” Inuyasha starts chuckling, “She seems to attract all sorts of people. I don’t know if they are friends or if she had to sit with him. That dive that she likes to study at has been getting busier. Now we know why.”  
“Watch the Miko, Inuyasha. After the battle with the aliens, we can’t afford for anyone to learn of her power. With the incidents that have happened recently and talks we need to be diligent.” He continued to look out the window for a few more moments before going back to his computer.  
Watching Kagome is not so easy. Inuyasha thought as he headed out of Sesshoumaru’s office towards his own. Trying not to be seen is going to be difficult. She is very protective of her privacy and time. He went right to the phones he was going to need some help and he knew just the person to call.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

“Jarvis, where is Steve?” Tony asked as he grabbed his coffee and headed to his workshop. He wanted to be in a location where he had the upper hand. His workshop was the perfect location for an interrogation.  
“Captain Rogers is in the kitchen of the communal living area.”  
“Good, good. Tell him to come to the workshop, I want to speak with him.” Tony smirked as he reached his workshop. Now, for staging the scene.  
About 30 minutes later Steve walks into the workshop watching Tony play a game of Solitaire, and chess with Jarvis.  
“Um, Tony… What did you call me here for?”  
“Great! Your finally here, I thought you were never going to make it. Here take a seat,” Tony hopped up from his chair and forced it under Steve’s legs so that he had no choice but to sit. “Good, good. Now where did I put it?” Tony started mumbling to himself as he grabbed a device of some sort before sitting on the edge of the table.  
What is going on? Tony never gets up this early, especially when nothing is going on. Steve looked around to see if some type of mission came up and if Tony was in charge of debriefing but that wasn’t likely either. He never asks me to come here. Usually it’s the other way around, me hunting him down, finding him holed up in here working on something and getting kicked out because I’m in the way. I have a funny feeling about this.  
Steve started to get up but was pushed back down.  
“Down boy, why are you in a rush? Jarvis, lights!” All of a sudden a spot light shined down on Steve. “Do you have a hot date?” Tony leaned in as he asked.  
Date? Oh yeah, a date.” Steve slowly started to smile but stopped when he remembered where he was but it was too late.  
“Ah-ha! You have a date!”  
“Tony, its 730. In the morning. Most people do not have dates at 730 in the morning.”  
“Who said anything about this morning, I saw that smile. You finally got a date. Is it with the mysterious woman you ate lunch with yesterday?”  
“What? How do you know I ate with a woman? Are you having me followed?” Steve started to rise as he glared at Tony. Fury he could see doing such a thing, but not Tony, not until now.

“Hold on there Cap’t. I didn’t have you followed, I read about you, here. ”He stuck the paper in Steve’s face so that he could read the little blurb in the paper, in one of his favorite sections, the gossip column. Anytime he needed to look up dirt on himself he would find it here, he just never expected to see the Cap’t there too.  
“So who is the hottie?”  
“Hottie?”  
“You know, the dame you were speaking, I mean eating with.”

“Hottie. I gotcha, she is very beautiful.” Steve couldn’t believe that he was in the gossip part of the paper, and so was she. His eyes widened at the thought that she might come across this information and learn who he is. It’s bound to happen. She will learn about me and who I am sooner or later. Hopefully it doesn’t change her mind about getting something to eat together.  
“She is? Like take her home and have messy sex with?”  
“What? No! I mean she is beautiful…” Steve’s ears started to turn red. Tony looked on chuckling. “Who is she?”  
“She’s just a regular at the diner I go to.”  
“That horrible place that you go to and come back stinking of?” Tony raised his brows at Steve, “are you sure that she is dating material? If she continues to eat at that place where the stench of the food you eat lingers on your clothes, doesn’t that say something about her tastes? And why do you go to that god awful…. Oh.” Tony started to smirk. “She goes to the stink hole. You started to go there because of her. That is the reason right, not the stinky food.”  
“Tony, it’s not the food, get off the food. She was there the first time I went and I just… I… I felt something. So I kept going back to see if she would go again. And she does. Often. I think she studies there.”  
“Hmmm.” Tony tapped his finger on his chin. “Well, the paper doesn’t say anything except you ate with a mysterious woman at a local diner. Did you meet up and got caught?”  
“No! Nothing like that. I haven’t really ever spoken to her till yesterday. We only ever said hi and goodbye. There were no places to sit except at my table and she asked if she could sit with me.” Steve smiled as he thought about his meal with Kagome. At least her name isn’t in the paper so it won’t get back to her, I hope.  
Tony watched Steve get lost in his memories and decided to let him be. For the moment. After a few more ‘meet and eats’ he would start the interrogation again. He needed a better location. The workshop wasn’t right, maybe he could work some space on the floor into an interrogation ‘secret’ room. Hmmm that’s a thought, and he too got lost in his thoughts.  
Steve snuck a peek at Tony and saw that he had his “thinking” eyes on. He was safe to sneak away. As he walked up the stairs he had to remind himself that he didn’t have any information from her to set up a time for that date. They didn’t exchange numbers. He would have to wait till he saw her again. He couldn’t wait.

A.N. I want to apologize for the long update. I was going a certain direction and in one of the reviews the press was pointed out to me. I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of that aspect! Thank you KEdakumi. I hope that the approach that I am taking now includes what you pointed out to me. This isn’t a regular chapter in my book hence the 2.5. Let me know what you think.  
Also the newspaper, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (日本経済新聞), a leading economic newspaper in Japan. (Wikepedia)


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer:  I do not own Inuyasha or the Avengers

 

Chapter Three

It had been weeks.  Steve had been sent on several missions back to back.  All concerning the threat of the Chetauri.  It was tiring and he was so impatient to get to the diner and see Kagome.  He had no information on her except her name, and he wanted that date.  He looked in the diner as he walked to the door noting that it wasn't as busy as it had started to get before.   Walking in the door he looked to see if she was there.  She wasn't.  He consulted his watch as he went to his usual table.  He still had a few minutes until she came.  She seemed to get there like clockwork. He had figured out what her schedule was like by eating there every day for a couple weeks. He had been able time his visits so that he was there a few minutes before she arrived.   He chuckled as he looked over the menu. _What is the likelihood that she would get there the same time every time because of me_ he thought?  _Not very likely._

"Hey Cap't.  Long time no see."

Steve looked up and saw Debbie walking towards him.  He wasn't attracted to her but she was a welcome sight to him.  "Hey there Debbie.  How have you been?"  He put down his menu as he slowly focused on her. 

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Debbie was ecstatic.  She hadn't seen the Captain in a while.  She knew he was a busy man, and she had hoped he was coming to see her.  She knew that that wasn't the case.  For the many weeks that he had been coming before he never went past asking her how she was and how her day was going.  After the first week that he didn't come, she was a bit bummed.  After the second week, she thought he might have found some other place that he ate dinner at.  And the few weeks after that she reminded herself that she was lucky to have waited on him as much as she did.  But now, now, she was hopping up and down in her head.

"Doing well, things have been the same since you were last here.  Do you know what you would like to eat?" _Oh my god! Did I just ask him that?  Did I just ask him what he wanted to eat?_ Debbie started to berate herself.  She couldn’t believe that the extent of her interaction with Cap’t was what he wanted to eat next.

“I’ll have whatever you think is good. I’ll take a pop instead of coffee today.  Thanks Debbie.”

Debbie stood there for just a quick second before she went to the back to give his order to the cook.  She rested her head on the counter as she mentally slapped herself. _Why couldn’t I talk to him?_ Debbie gave herself a minute to do this before she went back to her tables.  Since his departure from his routine visits the increase in customers had gone down to diner just needing one waitress each shift.  _Well, I hope he keeps coming again._

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Steve looked at his watch again.  He had just finished eating his pie and she had still not shown up.  He was slightly disappointed.  Throughout his missions a small piece of his mind was on his next visit to the diner, to see Kagome and maybe set up a date. _What if she had stopped coming because I wasn’t here?_  Steve shook his head at that thought. _She was coming here before I started, something must have come up for her._ Steve set down the money for his meal. He thanked Debbie and headed for the door. _I’ll keep coming, again and again. I’m sure she will show up._

Steve started walking down the street heading back to the Tower.  Tony had been hounding him ever since the newspaper incident. He wanted to see the progress of the ‘date’ that he was supposed to set up. _I need the woman to set up the date_ he thought to himself.  So wrapped up in his thoughts he didn’t pay attention to the running of feet until they were almost on top of him.  He looked up then and into deep blue eyes.

“Steve-san.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Kagome looked behind her as she ran down the sidewalk.  She was done. She was sick of the bodyguards Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had put on her.  At first when she went to Washington to be there for Kouga’s newest addition to be born she didn’t mind the guards.  She was surrounded by ‘family’ so the two constant companions were not a bother. They were now. 

Inuyasha’s nephews were intimidating.  Black Inu’s were tough looking Youkais.  They looked the part of bodyguards, large and threating. Because of who she was and what she guarded, she understood the threat they were all facing with the alien invasion that had been thwarted, but they were scaring people.  No one would sit next to her in class any more.  She had to sit in the back because they, Daichi and Katsuo, were disrupting class.  She had only been gone two weeks, and with just one week back she had ostracized just about all her class acquaintances. She couldn’t believe her luck.  She also couldn’t get away from them.  They were under strict orders to accompany her everywhere she went when she wasn’t home.  EVERYWHERE.

Kagome was so done. _I gotta ditch them.  I haven’t been to the diner in a long time._ She had missed seeing Steve for a week before she had left for her visit, and then with Daichi and Katsuo always tagging around she didn’t want to scare off Steve too.  She didn’t think that it would matter too much, but after everything at school, she felt that she needed a little bit of time to get to know Steve and see if he still wanted to go on the ‘date.’ She had realized after she left they hadn’t exchanged numbers.  She was so caught up in what the council had decided that it slipped her mind. _Alright,_ she had to admit to herself, _I was so excited that he wanted to do it again I blanked on that part._

The perfect opportunity to ditch her guards came when she went into a lingerie store.  She needed to get some things and refused to let them in the dressing area as she tried on things. Daichi didn’t care where they were but Katsuo was hesitate to take that step.  He understood that orders from the Alpha was supposed to be followed to the letter, but lingerie was another thing.  If Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru got wind of how close they were getting to Kagome in her underwear, there would be hell to pay. So nudging his brother, they stepped back to give her a little privacy.

Kagome was so happy that her plan worked.  She had just gotten a little bit of distance from her guards.  Grabbing a sales associate she handed her items to her as well as her card.   
“After you ring up these can you please hand the items over to the two gentlemen standing in the middle of the room?  I need to use the restroom and they are with me.”  The sales associate nodded her head before heading off. Kagome looked around her for a moment.  She couldn’t feel any auras near her and slowly ran to a side entrance of the backroom to the lingerie store. She quickly ran out and onto the sidewalk. She had looked at her watch and saw the time and started to sprint down the street.  She had saw that it was about 30 minutes after the time she usually arrived at the diner.  If he was there, he should be finishing up by now. She had turned several corners and gasped as she felt the aura of the fellows coming after her.  She outright ran around the pedestrians in her haste to get to the diner.  She looked behind her for a moment before turning around and almost running into just the person she was looking for.

“Steve-san.”

A.N.  Please let me know what you think.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Avengers  
.  
.

Chapter Four .

"Quick, follow me." Kagome grabbed Steve's hand and continued to run. She didn't let go. I can't believe I ran into him. Literally. She chuckled as she continued to run. She looked back a couple times before she was at a distance where she could hail an oncoming cab. She was lucky it stopped for her, and still holding Steve's hand she jumped in.  
"Can you just drive away from here? I will give you a destination in a few moments. And if you don't mind please drive as fast as you can."  
Kagome turned to Steve. He was frowning as their cab driver took off. "Did you already eat?" she asked him. 

 

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

 

Steve couldn't help but frown as they dashed down the street. He enjoyed the fact that Kagome was holding his hand as they went around the corner of one block and continued down the street. Is she in trouble? Why are we running? Why am I running? I can take care of anything that might be chasing her. He watched her glance back a few times. It must be serious. They had run a couple blocks before he felt her slow down. She threw up her hand as a taxi stopped before them. Still holding his hand they climbed in. Kagome proceeded to direct the cab driver. She told the man to just drive, then she looked at him.

 

"Did you already eat?" Steve stared for a moment dumbfounded. They had run several blocks as if seriously pursued by something troubling and she asks him if had eaten.

 

"Kagome..."

 

"You have. You were coming out of the diner and you smell like," she paused for a moment, "pie." She smiled at him then. “You had that delicious pie you raved about." She looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Do you mind if we go somewhere so that I may eat? I haven't had anything yet, I was hoping to get something at the diner with you." She stopped talking as she blushed a pretty shade of pink. Her blush pulled him from his dark thoughts for a moment. I like her blushing because of me, he thought. I wonder how far her blush goes.

 

"So you were hoping to eat with me?" he asked.

 

"I know that if you went to the diner, you would have started your meal about 40 minutes ago..." she blushed harder, if it were possible, a lovely shade of red. It went from the tips of her ears down to the top of her blouse. Steve couldn't help but wonder if it went further down. I can't wait to find out. He raised his eyebrow at her when she trailed off.

 

"You know my schedule, huh? Do you get there at the same time because of me?"

 

Kagome reached across and pushed his shoulder. He barely moved but chuckled at her attempt. She bit her plump bottom lip. She looked out the window for a moment lost in thought before turning back to him.

 

"Do you have someplace to be? Would you like to sit with me as I get something?" she's fast in changing the subject. Pretty good evasion.

 

"I don't have any place to be. You don't mind me tagging along?" he watched as her face lit up with her beautiful smile.

 

"No silly, that's why I dragged you along." she turned back to the cabbie. 

 

"Can you stop at the nearest Japanese restaurant?" the cabbie nodded his head as he took the next turn. At that moment, Steve heard a grumble as he looked at Kagome. She blushed again. 

 

"I'm sorry about that. I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."

 

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

 

Kagome couldn't believe her stomach would growl at that moment. That is so embarrassing she thought as she looked out the window.

 

"What's going on Kagome? Are you in trouble?" Steve asked. He looked concerned and Kagome sighed. She didn't want to have this conversation in the car.

 

"Is someone after you?" Kagome looked out the side of her eyes and saw the cabbie listening in. She turned back to Steve and felt this strong urge to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear. Oh my god. Did I just think that? Her eyes widened at the thought. She felt a spike in Steve's aura and looked back at him. He looked worried. 

 

"Are you in serious trouble? Do you need my help? I'm pretty good at taking care of tough situations."

 

Kagome smiled as she took his hand again. I can't keep myself from touching him. What is the matter with me? When Steve didn't pull away she patted it as she looked at him. "Can we talk about it over food? It’s a little complicated, and I don't want to scare you off. "

 

Steve looked at her, really looked at her and then nodded.

 

"Will it hold till then? Are the people you are running from behind us?"

 

"They are not. I can't feel them."

 

"Feel them?" he looked at her.

 

Oops she thought, her eyes widened again. I feel so comfortable with him it just slipped out. If Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru gets wind of this I might actually be in trouble. Before Kagome could get a word out Steve continued.

 

"We can talk about it as you eat." They both looked up as the cab slowly pulled to the curb. Looking over they saw a small obscure shop. Kagome looked back at the cabbie with a question in her eyes.

 

"You wanted to eat at the nearest Japanese restaurant. This is the best one I could think of. You look like you would like authentic over Americanized. Am I right?" the man spoke with a slight accent. Kagome continued to look at him as she nodded.

 

"Well then, this is the best. It doesn't look like much but you won't be disappointed." 

 

"Thank you. I can't wait to try it. It reminds me of home, the storefront."

 

"Just let them know that Jessie sent you and they will take care of you." 

 

Kagome thanked the man again as she reached down for her wallet. This time Steve placed his hand over hers. He paid the man. Kagome blinked at him owlishly. She couldn't believe he paid again. She was just about to open her mouth but Steve, still holding her hand pulled her out of the cab, he turned and smiled at the cabbie and then at Kagome.

 

"Thank you sir," he said as he closed the door. The cabbie winked and tilted his head at Kagome.

 

"I think you got a keeper Cap't" he chuckled as he pulled away.

 

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

 

I don't know what's wrong with me, thought Steve. I can't keep my hands off of her. He felt like he was watching himself in an out of body moment as his finger went up to her lips to stop what she was saying. It worked. She stopped. Her lips are so soft, I wonder if they feel the same way if I kissed her. Steve shook his head as he replied.

 

"I told you before that where I'm from, the man pays. That’s how I was raised."

 

"I understand." Kagome said around my finger. Steve and Kagome looked at each other for a moment. Each lost in each other’s eyes.

 

Steve turned back to the restaurant and headed in, still holding Kagome's hand.

 

A.N. Let me know what you think! I apologize once again for any grammatical errors. This chapter was a little hard to write. I knew where I was going just getting there took a bit of time.  
~fallingyuki


End file.
